Bug remover for windshields and the like



g- 1961 J. R. GlLCHRlST ETAL 2,997,732

BUG REMOVER FOR WINDSHIELDS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 12, 1957 INVENTORS M41 AUOK/VFK;

2,997,732 BUG REMOVER FOR WINDSHIELDS AND THE LIKE James R. Gilchrist, Hamburg, and Howard 0. Park,

'Cheektowaga, N.Y., assignors to Truly-Magic Products Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 677,534 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-598) This invention relates to a device for removing the encrusted bodies of bugs from Windshields and the like and more particularly to such a device which operates both through mechanical scrubbing, brushing and wiping and also through the application of a softening liquid and finally through the use of a squeegee to restore the visibility through the windshield to its original status.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide such a device which has a highly effective scrubbing action in removing the bodies and encrusted dried bug juices rapidly and without danger of injury to the windshield.

Another object is to provide such a device which is a highly eifective applicator of a liquid which softens and dissolves the bug juices so as to render their removal more rapid and complete.

Another object is to provide such a device which has a highly effective wiping action in wiping away the mechanically loosened or softened bodies as Well as the dissolved encrusted bug juices.

Another object is to provide such a device having a porous wiping element or applicator through which the liquid for softening and dissolving the encrustation is supplied to the surface of the Windshield at a measured rate to be fully effective Without waste of the liquid.

Another object is to provide such a device which will not lose liquid when set down and not in use or when shaken to remove excess liquid or bugs.

Another object is to provide such a device which is fully effective as a windshield washer regardless of whether or not bugs are present on the Windshield.

Another object is to provide such a device which hold a copious supply of the liquid used to soften and dissolve the bodies and dried juices of the bugs.

Another object is to provide such a device which can be modified to use liquids of different viscosities.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the liquid held in the reservoir of the bug remover can be of high concentration and in which the use dilution is achieved by dipping the bug remover in a pail of water both to effect such dilution and also to wash the bugs from the bug remover.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings in which FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a bug remover embodying the present invention and viewed from the right of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view viewed from the left hand end of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken generally on line 4--4, FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken generally on line 5--5, FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6-6, FIG. 5.

The bug remover embodying the present invention includes a hollow body indicated generally at 10 and is preferably made of a molded plastic so as to be rigid, light in weight, strong and not likely to break when dropped. To this end the body 10 is preferably made of a high impact polystyrene. The body 10 includes a trans- "ice verse tubular portion 11 which is closed at its ends, as indicated at 12, and a longitudinal neck 13 through which liquid is supplied to the interior of the transverse tubular portion 11. The connection between the neck 13 and transverse tubular portion l1 is preferably reinforced by integral plastic webs 14 and the outer extremity of the neck 13 is enlarged and internally threaded as indicated at 15. Into the threads 15 is screwed the threaded mouth 16 of a tubular reservoir 18, the opposite end of this reservoir being closed.

The tubular reservoir 18 is preferably transparent so that the quantity of solution therein can be observed and it is also preferably made of plastic so as not to break when dropped. To this end the reservoir 18 is preferably made of transparent cellulose acetate. The threaded mouth 16 of this reservoir preferably screws against a gasket 19 in the threaded neck 13 to provide a leakproof joint and also so that a subatrnospheric pressure or vacuum will build up in the reservoir 18 when the device is in use for the purpose of controlling the rate of flow of the solution.

The numeral 20 represents the back plate of a combined brush and sponge indicated generally at 21. This back plate 20 is preferably also made of high impact polystyrene and is preferably of the same length as the transverse tubular portion 11 and is provided along its back surface with a groove 22 which is arcuate in cross section so that the plate 20 fits snugly along the transverse tubular portion 11 the full length thereof. This plate 20 can be secured to the tubular portion 11 in any suitable manner, as by the screws 23 shown, and is preferably arranged so that it is on one side of the tool but faces forwardly when the reservoir 18 is used as a handle. Thus, as best shown in FIG. 5, the back plate 20 is arranged at an included angle of about 45 with reference to the axis of the reservoir 18.

Rows of brush bristles 25 are fixed or anchored in the back plate 20 along its opposite edges, these two rows being spaced from each other and the bristles being of equal length and slightly shorter than the height of a rectangular sponge 26 mounted on the back plate 20 in the space between the bristles 25. This sponge is preferably in the form of a cellulose sponge which when dry is hard and rigid but which is soft when saturated with liquid. This sponge 26 is secured to the back plate 20 by a layer of adhesive 28 which can be any suitable adhesive which is resistive to the solution which the bug remover is designed to apply.

A plurality of holes 29 are drilled through the back plate 20, the layer of adhesive 28 and into the back of the sponge 26, three of these holes being shown and these holes being arranged along the longitudinal center line of the sponge 26. A counterbore 30' is also drilled around each of these holes 29, these counterbores being drilled from the back side of the back plate 20 at the same time the holes 29 are drilled. In each of the holes 29 is arranged a porous plug 31, the porosity of which is selected to correspond to the viscosity of the fluid used in conjunction with the bug remover. This plug is surrounded by an annular gasket 32 of soft resilient material, such as rubber, which is arranged in each counterbore 3t} and is in compressive relation to this counterbore and to the tubular portion 11 so as to prevent leakage of fluid except through the porous plug 31. Fluid is supplied to the porous plug 31 by a hole 34 drilled through the tubular portion 11 and the size of which can be selected to conform to the viscosity of the particular fluid which the bu g remover applies. Advantageously the annular gasket 32 is retained in the counterbore 30 by a layer 35 of adhesive, this also, through the gasket 32, securing the porous plug 31 in position.

A feature of the invention resides in the orientation of the pores in the cellulose sponge 26. The pores produced in such cellulose sponge are elongated in one direction and it is important that this direction be mean or perpendicular to the working face of the sponge 25, as illustrated in FIGS. 4- and 5. These pores cannot extend parallel with the working face of the sponge since under such conditions the sponge will not be reliably secured to the back plate 20 by the layer of adhesive 28 and in particular it has been found that this sponge will break away from the back plate under longitudinal movement of the sponge if the pores extend parallel with the working face of the sponge.

The numeral 38 represents a pair of lugs formed integrally with the tubular portion 11 of the bug remover and having coplanar faces 39 which are arranged at an included angle of about 45 to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir 18 but are arranged on the opposite side of the tubular portion '11 from the brush and sponge 25. To the coplanar faces 39 of these lugs 38 is secured a squeegee 40 which is shown as consisting of two metal strips 41, 42 secured in face to face relation with each other, and with the face 39 of the lugs 33 by a pair of screws 43 which anchor in these lugs. The strips 41, 42 jointly provide a parallel sided channel 44 which is slightly wider than a rubber blade 45 fitting therein so that the rubber blade is free to float or move around in this channel in a direction parallel with the opposing side faces of the channel. This freedom of movement of the rubber blade 45 permits the blade to adapt itself to curved Windshields to clear the same with one stroke in any direction. To prevent loss of the blade it is held in place by rivets 46 through the metal strips 41, 42 and which pass through oversize holes 48 in the rubber blade.

In use, the transparent reservoir 18 is unscrewed from the neck 13 and it is filled with a liquid cleaning solution. This solution can be of any composition to aid in the removal of bug bodies and dried bug juice from Windshields as well as to leave the windshield in a crystal clear condition. To this end the fluid employed can consist of suitable solvents and detergents for this purpose. Where a low viscosity fluid is employed, such as an ancohol solution, it is necessary that the size of the hole 34 be proportioned accordingly. For use in cleaning bugs from Windshields, particularly at service stations, it is desirable that a low viscosity liquid be employed as the cleaning solution and to this end it is important that the size of the hole 34, as well as the permeability of the porous plugs 31 be selected for such low viscosity liquids. It is also desirable that the cleaning liquid which is placed in the reservoir 16 be of excessive strength for use in removing bugs from the windshield, a feature of the invention residing in the dilution of this cleaning solution by frequent dipping of the bug remover into a pale of water. The high strength solution from the reservoir 18 flows through the neck 13 and thence through the holes 34 and porous plugs 31 into the rectangular cellulose sponge 26. This high strength solution then migrates through the sponge 26 to the Working surface thereof.

In use the attendant at the service station frequently dips the bug remover into a pale of water both for the purpose of removing the bodies of bugs from the tool and also diluting the strength of the cleaning solution at the working surface of the sponge 26 to that required for rapid removal of the bug bodies as well as dissolution of the dried bug juices on the windshield. Accordingly it will be seen that the strength of the cleaning solution is reduced to a use dilution at the working surface of the sponge by the frequent dipping of the sponge into a pale of water.

When pressed lightly against the windshield, only the working surface of the sponge 26 comes into contact with the windshield and hence the only cleaning eifect is by the action of the sponge 26 against the windshield in combination with the action of the diluted cleaning liquid supplied to the sponge from the reservoir 18. When, however, thicker encrustations of bugs or bug juices are encountered, the attendant can press more heavily upon ,7

the windshield so as to bring the bristles 25 into action. This also serves to compress the sponge 26 to a greater degree so as to obtain a higher degree of cleaning efliciency from the sponge, as well as to apply a greater quantity of the cleaning solution to the windshield. With the conjoint action of the sponge 26 and the bristles 25, a badly encrusted windshield can be rapidly freed from the bodies of bugs as well as encrustations of bug juices.

After the encrusted bug bodies and juices have been so freed, itis necessary that they be removed from the windshield and to this end the attendant turns the bug remover to its opposite side and draws the rubber 45 of the squeegee 40 along the windshield so as to scrape the cleaning fluid, dissolved juices and freed bodies from the windshield. As previously indicated, these juices, used cleaning solution and bug bodies can be quickly removed from both the squeegee 40 and also from the sponge 21 and bristles 25 by frequently dipping the bug remover into a pail of water, this dipping also serving to reduce the strength of the cleaning solution to the required use dilution. The mounting of the rubber blade 45, particularly through the oversize holes 48 therein, permits the blade to float or move freely in one plane in its holder 41, 42 and this permits the blade to adapt itself to any curve of present day Windshields and to clear the same with one stroke.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the high strength cleaning solution will not leak from the bug remover when the bug remover is not in use. This solution is retained in the reservoir 18 by the vacuum which builds up therein and also by the porous plugs 31 as well as by the rectangular sponge 26. Even if the bug remover is placed so that the reservoir 18 is uppermost or even if it is slung around somewhat in normal usage the cleaning solution will not leak through and escape from the sponge 26. The flow of cleaning solution is a function of pressure against the working face of this sponge such as in actual use although setting of the bug remover with the working face of the sponge 26 supporting the tool should be avoided inasmuch as under these circumstances some leakage of the high strength cleaning solution will take place.

The pores of the sponge are also oriented to provide a uniform feed of liquid to the working face and to insure the sponge being reliably adhered to the backing plate, the sponge being dimensionally stable in a direction transverse of the length of its pores.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a highly effective bug remover which is particularly adapted for use at service stations where the attendant, after serving the customer, can quickly and completely remove the bugs from the windshield with the expenditure of little time and effort even though the windshield is badly encrusted with dried bodies and bug juices.

We claim:

1. A bug remover, comprising an elongated enclosed hollow body forming a reservoir for a predetermined quantity of a cleaning liquid, an elongated plate conforming to and fitted against one face of said hollow body to extend lengthwise thereof, means securing one face of said plate to said hollow body, said plate and the wall of the body being provided with registering holes through which the liquid in said body can escape from said reservoir to the opposite face of said plate, said holes in said plate being larger than said holes in said wall of said body, an elongated sponge secured to said opposite face of said plate and covering said holes in said plate and a porous metering plug separate from said sponge arranged in each of said larger holes in said plate to control the rate of flow of the liquid therethrough to said sponge.

2. A bug remover as set forth in claim 1 wherein a counterbore is provided around each of said larger holes in said plate at said one face of said plate, and an annular sealing gasket is arranged in this counterbore in compressed relation to this counterbore and said wall of said hollow body prevent leakage of the liquid from the hollow body except through said hollow plug.

References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 219,324 Sunderlin Sept. 2, 1879 840,604 Brinn Jan. 8, 1907 1,511,969 Hoy Oct. 14, 1924 10 2,082,582 K-ling June 1, 1937 6 Hand May 24, 1938 Davies Sept. 11, 1951 Decker June 30, 1953 Vosbikian et 'al Feb. 15, 1955 Laflan et a1 Jan. 15, 1957 Abdo et a1. May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 7, 1913 Italy Mar. 2, 1956 France Nov. 26, 1956 

